Where We Live

NEWS

More and more elderly Americans are choosing to spend their later years in assisted living facilities, which have sprung up as an alternative to nursing homes. But is this loosely regulated, multi-billion dollar industry putting seniors at risk?

Straight to the Art

By WGBHArts
Cindy Brockway, Cultural Resources Program Director for The Trustees of Reservations at Crane Estates, ponders the relationship between art and nature:

“I like to thing that extraordinary art is made exceptional by its juxtaposition to outstanding natural scenery. For me, great art is found in the interaction between the natural and the cultural, each inspiring and informing the other. A great work of landscape architecture can be humbled in the face of an incredible sunset, the birth of a Least Tern chick, or sunlight raking an old stone foundation. Similarly, some of our greatest landscape paintings celebrate the vicissitudes of the American landscape more dramatically that Mother Nature herself. It is this emotional and intellectual response to our surroundings that write newchapters in our emotions, shake our inner self, make us feel small, move us in awe, and encourage us to wander, and to wonder. At The Trustees, this is our journey.”

Go Straight to the Arts

By WGBHArtsNorah Dooley, storyteller and co-founder of massmouth, inc. tells us about how storytelling changed her life:

"I heard my first storyteller in graduate school. For her final project, she presented the story of her abusive relationship with no props, no visuals, no costumes, no notes, no lights, no staging - just a story. We were all spellbound and by the end of it, totally speechless. I promptly changed my major, wrote my Master’s thesis on storytelling and have been a professional storyteller ever since. These days, we make art (tell stories), where it is least expected. On street corners, coffee shops, and orchards we create a truly unique opportunity for strangers to stop, listen, share their own stories and come together."l

WHERE WE LIVE

By Bob Seay
Our "Where We Live" stories take place in a context of economic struggle. The MassINC research director talks about the ways we can face the challenges that may stand between Massachusetts residents and our dreams of a glowing future.

WHERE WE LIVE

By WGBH News
The week of Nov. 14, WGBH News brings back our series Where We Live. Follow along to read, watch and hear stories of Mass. residents from eight cities and towns as they try to move forward in an uncertain time — and share your own stories as well.

Greater Boston

By WGBH NewsGreater Boston received exclusive access to research conducted by independent think tank Mass Inc. about whether or not Massachusetts residents believe the American Dream is still attainable.

By WGBH News
Here we compile the complete coverage from the April 2011 installment of our Where We Live series: our features on towns and cities across the state, selected responses from listeners and readers, and some related stories that touch on community and economic life.

By Mickey Coburn
A resident of Beverly reflects on the changes he observed after living in the town during two different periods over several decades: "
The city has history. Something sorely missing. Not sure what that is."

WHERE WE LIVE

By Andrea Smardon
The former army base Devens has been thrust into the spotlight as the place where alternative energy company Evergreen Solar built a manufacturing plant, then abruptly closed it, moving its operations to China. But Evergreen is only part of a larger story of rapid economic change in Devens.

WHERE WE LIVE

By Jess Bidgood
Saugus's Route 1 location is considered a gold mine for retailers and restaurants. The town has never needed a planner to encourage that kind of development -- but some residents think its time to build a vision for the other parts of town.

WHERE WE LIVE

By Ralph Ranalli
With thriving museums and new businesses opening downtown, it has the feel of a city on rise once again. But when you move away from the trendy cafes and art galleries, it’s clear the former whaling capital’s problems with jobs and education still run deep.

WHERE WE LIVE

By Toni Waterman
Quincy's downtown used to be Shopper's Town USA -- but today, many of those stores are gone as shoppers have moved to more suburban mall. The city is now looking to a $1.3 billion deal with a private developer to revitalize its downtown.

WHERE WE LIVE

By Sean Corcoran
Chatham owes just about everything it has to the fact it's located on the ocean. From its architecture — which, in many cases was based on buildings sea captains would find in other areas of the world — to its culture and tourism, the sea has helped keep the community fiscally strong, including during this recent financial trouble.